Sodium: Function, Excess, and Tricks to Lower Intake

What sodium does in your body

Sodium determines where water goes in your body. When it is absorbed through the gut it will pull water not only from the inside of the gut, but also from the inside of your cells via osmosis. This can mean that you are swollen and puffy with a ton of extra water but your cells are dehydrated because the sodium sucked the water out of the cells. Having excess sodium in your blood pulls more water into your blood which makes your heart work harder to pump the blood you need. This increases the strain on the blood vessels, which over years will give you heart disease.

That is why doctors worry about sodium intake. Sodium is an essential nutrient to your bodily functions, but most Americans have 1,000mg more Sodium than they need which leads to the above problems. Additionally, some people experience swelling, foot pain, and brain fog when they eat large amounts of Sodium.

Tricks to lowering your sodium intake

When trying to multiply your results, “the best place to look is for small changes we could make in things we do often.” -Henry B. Eyring

Replace bagged and boxed snacks for vegetables and fruits. Most sodium (70% of daily intake in Americans) comes from processed foods. This will also help you lose weight, have more mental clarity, and avoid the diseases that take both years off your life and life out of your years.
Do activities that make you sweat. Aside from water, sweat is mostly sodium so sweating it out in a sauna, exercising safely in warmer conditions, or exercising very intensely will help you lower your sodium levels
Replace or mix with potassium salt. Potassium and sodium have opposite effects in your body and potassium helps your body regulate your potassium. Potassium salt tastes a bit more bitter than table salt, but mixing both salts 50/50 in recipes makes the flavor difference minimal.

Try one of these to decrease your sodium intake and see if you can think clearer or feel better!

Learn more here

Salt and Sodium | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

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